The Nikkei newspaper reports that the Japanese government will gradually relax COVID-related border controls by the end of February, starting with the resumption of entry for business travelers and international students. As a first step, 1,000 business travelers and students a day will be allowed to enter Japan before the end of the month.
This will be gradually expanded to several thousand per day. The policy change is due to domestic and international discussions questioning the efficacy of border controls.
The policy change could happen as early as next week, depending on the government’s assessment of the infection situation.
The suspension of all new entries to the country by foreigners was introduced at the end of November 2021 due to Omicron. In January, this was extended “to the end of February.” According to the Immigration Bureau of Japan, the average number of foreigners entering Japan in December 2021 dropped as low as 767 per day.
The Nikkei reports that the government does not intend to extend the border closure and is considering fully lifting border restrictions for some visa types as early as March 1st, including the issuance of new visas.
Shortening quarantine to three days and simplification of paperwork
When border restrictions are lifted for business travelers and students, Japan also plans to change the quarantine period for entry from seven days to three days or less, for both Japanese and foreigners. People entering Japan will be required to have a third booster shot and a negative test result. The government also plans to simplify COVID-related paperwork and document review procedures.
Business travelers and international students will be allowed to enter the country on the premise that they will be supervised by their respective companies or schools. There may also be a requirement that they stay at supervised facilities for a certain amount of time.
For business travelers, the purpose of the initial easing of restrictions is to allow short-term business trips to Japan, and priority will be given to researchers, engineers, and people involved in public enterprises. For international students, government will give priority to privately-funded international students who would otherwise not be able to graduate from their school without taking face-to-face classes. Currently, Japan already allows a very limited number of government-sponsored international students.
Maximum number allowed per day to be increased to 3,500, initially
As early as March 1st, the maximum number of people allowed to enter Japan could be increased to 3,500 per day. When the border was abruptly shut down last November, the maximum daily number allowed to enter was 5,000. The government plans to gradually increase the daily maximum to about that level. There is also concern that if the maximum number allowed is too low, Japan may face criticism, so the government plans to gradually expand the number based on the infection situation.
Currently, foreigners cannot enter in Japan unless they already have a status-of-residence (visa) to reside in Japan or have a compelling humanitarian or public interest reason that is approved on a case-by-case basis.
As a result of the prolonged border closure, business travel has stopped and international students have not been able to enter the country, with widespread consequences for individuals, families, and businesses; as well as Japan’s international reputation and competitiveness.
In a related article, the Nikkei has reported, for example, that various foreign chambers of commerce have appealed to the Japanese government to ease border restrictions. The German Chamber of Commerce in Japan said that in a survey of its member companies, estimated losses due to the long border closure amounted to about 13 billion yen (130 million USD).
Source: Nikkei newspaper, February 12, 2022 (in Japanese) and Nikkei newspaper, February 10, 2022 (in Japanese)
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